In this Grade 4 lesson from Discovering Our Past: a History of the World, Chapter 19, students learn how the Black Death bubonic plague spread from central Asia across Europe in the 1300s, killing nearly half the population in some regions. Students also explore how the great famine of 1315–1322 and the plague's devastating death toll weakened feudalism by raising wages, expanding serf rights, and disrupting trade across medieval Europe.
Section 1
The Black Death Devastates European Population
Bubonic plague spread from Asia to Europe through trade routes during the 1340s, killing nearly half of Europeans. Fleas on rats transmitted the disease, causing widespread death and economic disruption.
Section 2
Joan of Arc Inspires French Victory
A teenage French peasant girl led armies against English forces in 1429, helping France reclaim territory during the Hundred Years' War. Despite her execution, Joan's actions strengthened French national identity.
Section 3
Christians Reconquer Iberian Peninsula
The Reconquista drove Muslims from Spain and Portugal, ending with Granada's fall in 1492. Ferdinand and Isabella united Spain, established the Inquisition, and forced Jews and Muslims to convert or leave.
Section 4
Religious Authorities Lose Power
The Great Schism (1378-1417) divided the Catholic Church with multiple rival popes. This religious crisis, combined with criticism of church wealth and corruption, weakened the Church's authority throughout Europe.
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Section 1
The Black Death Devastates European Population
Bubonic plague spread from Asia to Europe through trade routes during the 1340s, killing nearly half of Europeans. Fleas on rats transmitted the disease, causing widespread death and economic disruption.
Section 2
Joan of Arc Inspires French Victory
A teenage French peasant girl led armies against English forces in 1429, helping France reclaim territory during the Hundred Years' War. Despite her execution, Joan's actions strengthened French national identity.
Section 3
Christians Reconquer Iberian Peninsula
The Reconquista drove Muslims from Spain and Portugal, ending with Granada's fall in 1492. Ferdinand and Isabella united Spain, established the Inquisition, and forced Jews and Muslims to convert or leave.
Section 4
Religious Authorities Lose Power
The Great Schism (1378-1417) divided the Catholic Church with multiple rival popes. This religious crisis, combined with criticism of church wealth and corruption, weakened the Church's authority throughout Europe.
Book overview
Jump across lessons in the current chapter without opening the full course modal.
Continue this chapter